SUNFLOWERCHANGESLOCALSHOWLINEUP

The company -- owned by the World Co., which also owns the Journal-World -- started "block" local programming Monday night, offering locally produced shows from 5:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on channel 6.

The seven-hour block features new and repeat runs of existing local shows, including "Home & Away," "Fusion," "As Time Goes By," "Video Home," "Pets for Adoption and Community Calendar" and "Fearless Football Forecasters." Kansas University coaches shows and replays of high school games of the week also will be seen more often.

The company's local newscasts also will get more play. "6News at Six" will run live at 6 p.m. weekdays and be repeated at 8 p.m., while "6News Nightside" will run live at 10 p.m. weekdays and repeat at midnight.

"We hope to get a lot more people watching our shows," said Ann Niccum, production manager for Sunflower Cablevision. "This way they're out there a lot more."

Other changes:

Beginning tonight, Lawrence City Commission meetings no longer will be shown on channel 6 and will be available only on channel 48.

Local weather information, which runs in text on channel 6 along with AP News Plus, will be available on channel 70 in areas where Sunflower's fiber-optic upgrade has been completed. The information also will remain on channel 6, but not between 5:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m.

Sunflower has about 31,000 subscribers in Lawrence and Eudora.

-- Mark Fagan's phone message number is 832-7188. His e-mail address is mfagan@ljworld.com.